Well it's been an interesting summer in the aftermath of relegation. It was clear from the outset that we would lose some players and would have to cut our cloth accordingly. Initially it appeared that Tom Coventry was staying, but a late u-turn from him meant a new coaching set up was required. New coaches, loss of big names, new players to integrate, sounds like a recipe for disaster, and we've certainly been there many times over the past few years. This however, does not feel like that at all. Perhaps it's because we are a league down, but there is real optimism around, primarily because of those things. The holy trinity of Nick Kennedy, Declan Danaher and Paul Hodgson have been promoted to the first team after overseeing a successful academy season last year, and have Brendan Venter overseeing them as technical director. This is exciting. A proven winner overseeing a young, hungry and exciting coaching team. On the playing side, the main losses being Matt Symons and Sean Maitland are more than offset by the likes of George Robson, James Marshall and Tommy Bell coming in. If anything it feels as if we may have a stronger squad this year than we've had for the past 4 or 5.

Two games into pre season and things look positive. Comfortably beating an admittedly understrength Quins, and a high scoring win against Nottingham have given plenty of optimism for the season ahead. There were still defensive lapses, which will need to be ironed out, but barring complacency or an absolute stinker in terms of form, we should have more than enough to comfortably make the dreaded play offs, where it then becomes a test of mental strength rather than ability.

Ozzy'sprediction:Champions

Last edited by Ozzy3213 on Mon 12 Dec 2016, 5:21 pm; edited 27 times in total

I'm told both Ferg and Jimi had niggles but could have played today, but Kendo decided to give them the extra rest as we have the depth to cover. Notwithstanding injuries in training they should both be fit for the 1st leg.

Ozzy3213 wrote:I'm told both Ferg and Jimi had niggles but could have played today, but Kendo decided to give them the extra rest as we have the depth to cover. Notwithstanding injuries in training they should both be fit for the 1st leg.

That's reassuring. A good win today and it means we will face Doncaster again in the Semi, which is my preferred tie. Expecting to see a very similar line-up with Marshall and Mulchrone returning and the pack staying as is, except for the return of Robson probably.

Fairly enjoyable game today. Conditions were pretty difficult, with a strong wind blowing throughout, but thankfully the rain stayed off bar a few short showers.

Defence was superb, with Donny running into brick walls for most of the game. We spent the last twenty minutes defending with men in the bin and in the end it took a chip in behind in the last play of the game for them to score.

Scrum was excellent and on top all game. Lineout less so with a few not straight and a few lost. The wind didn't help, but they also screwed it up twice when trying something fancy with backs in the lineout (Theo, McKibbin, Lewington). Not sure what was meant to happen, but hope they keep it simple in a few weeks.

Theo went off injured. Looked like his same foot/ankle that he was out with, but he could walk on it without too much of a limp, so hopefully precautionary.

Bell's yellow was down in front of us. No arms and put his shoulder into their 13 who went off on a stretcher. Looked instinctive, but hope the hope it doesn't look too bad on replay or the citing officer may take an interest.

Pack was great, with no weak links. Lewington and Tiks with sharp line breaks for the 1st and 3rd tries. 2nd was a penalty try from the maul (their maul went nowhere for most of the day).

Nice to get a comfortable win, but the game in two weeks is the one that matters. Both teams start again on 0 then.

Head of Medical Services Brian O’Leary gives us an injury update going into the Greene King IPA Championship Play-offs.

Brian O'Leary wrote:The London Irish squad are in good shape going into the play-offs with no medium to short-term injuries.

The following players are in the treatment room with long-term injuries:-

Tom Smallbone (shoulder)

Richard Palframan (Knee)

Joe Trayfoot (Knee)

Johnny Williams (Hamstring)

Tom Fowlie (Hamstring)

“The medical team have worked extremely hard with the strength and conditioning team and the rugby department throughout the season. As a result we have the highest player availability of the season going into the most crucial period of the campaign, which is what we set out to achieve last summer. The lads are in great shape thanks to a great team effort from all departments.”

That's a great effort from the medical and conditioning staff to get us to this point with so few absentees. Realistically only Johnny and possibly a fully fit Tom Smallbone would be challenging for a place in the 22 for play offs.

Cannot really argue with any of those. Cokanasiga has been amazing at times, but then also quite quiet in some games. The potential is there for all to see, but he needs to find some consistency. I really hope we don't bulk him up too much, as even from the start of the season he seems to have lost a tiny bit of pace, although I appreciate that he has had a slight niggle. What he needs is a long pre-season to focus on his own fitness, but instead he is off with England. I don't want to rush him into the side too soon and risk damaging his longevity. Another winger would therefore be an area which we should look to strengthen in.

Coman I have no arguments with whatsoever. I wasn't convinced for a while, as I probably mentioned on here. But in more recent times I have been astounded at the amount of work he gets through defensively. I know that we have changed a lot of our systems from last year and a huge credit for that should go to Dec, but we also now have a real defensive leader in the pack which makes a huge difference.

Coman is the unsung hero in the pack. Makes lots of tackles, but they are good hits that mean the carrier doesn't make yards. big difference in doing that compared to bringing someone down but them making yards and allowing quick ball. he is also good in the lineout. been a cracking signing.

Yep Coman took a bit of time to get up and running but has been outstanding for us, certainly looks bright for our back row with the likes of Coman and Cowan leading the pack with youngsters like Gilsenan and Northcote-green hot on their heels!

Agreed about Cokanasiga SirB but hoping its down to a little niggle that he maybe hasn't been performing quite as well as he was when he burst onto the scene

Coman has been excellent, certainly defensively and as a lineout option. Him and Blair work very well together, but it does mean that a lot of the tight carrying falls to Trev, as neither are big carriers close to the ruck. That said they do provide decent carrying in the wider channels and have good hands, so as long as the front 5 continue to back Trev up in the tight carrying stakes it shouldn't be a problem. DHA has been particularly good in that area.

I think for the final 6 of the pack pick themselves, Paice, Franks, Seb and the back row. Question marks really are wither you start Court and bring DHA off the bench for impact, or have DHA smashing it from the start, and whether Robson comes in for Jebb. Personally I'd change nothing and DHA and Jebb would start, the only change I would potentially make is Lovejoy on the bench instead of Ollie Hoskins. Hoskins has improved massively through the season, but for me Lovejoy is a better impact player.

Robson as I understand it is still in talks with the club so may be staying. I hope he does as he's a good experienced guy. Hopefully there will be some signing announcements in the next few days, although today might be a bit of a stretch as there was a massive pi$$ up at Hazelwood last night so there may be some sore heads this morning.

From the academy Murphy and Neal are gone, so in the absence of any news saying others are going at this stage I presume all are being given at least another year.

On the incomings Lasha Lomidze was listed as a London Irish player in the recent Georgia squad announcement, so he looks a done deal and French newspapers seem certain that Manasa Saulo the Fijian prop is a definite from Toulon.

Last edited by Ozzy3213 on Thu 25 May 2017, 4:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

Cheers mate, was the craziest game of rugby I've ever watched. 103 points, 12 tries, two yellow cards, a mass brawl involving players and coaching staff, 2 red cards and at the end of it we're back in the Premiership. Just absolutely mental.

It was a crazy game. The two early tries in each half I think led to a bit of complacency on our part and the end of the game was very odd, almost anti-climatic. But once the whistle blew and the players went up to get the trophy it was sheer joy on my part. There is a lot of work still to do to improve for next season, but for now I just want to relive last night! A fantastic occasion and our fans, when they are out in force, are genuinely a fantastic group (with one or two exceptions!).

Yeah, we only played in a couple of spells in the game really. The quick one-two from Lewi and Kibsta after half time killed the game as a contest and I think everybody, including the players, was just waiting for the final whistle.

As you say, next season is a way off, and for now I'm just going to savour the success, lord knows we've had our fair share of disappointments in recent years.

I agree that it isn't particularly positive, but like you say he does emphasise the potential of the club and Brendan Venter has said that he can see us developing into the next Saracens. I also think that if the club does need backing then this is the best time to come out and make a plea like this, when there is a bit of attention on us and a generally positive atmosphere around the club. Fingers crossed some wealthy businessman reads it and can stump up some cash!

Yeah, for sure. Certainly more likely to be successful when the club is riding a bit of a wave.

Need to get the most out of the assets we have available next season. The table included with turnover and total wage bill, just shows it's possible to be competitive if you get things right. Sale had by far the lowest wage bill and were a decent side last season.

I don't think any of what Mick Crossan said should come as ay surprise to anyone. We make next to nothing being in Reading. I think we get something like 18p in the £ on ticket sales and nothing from catering and the commercial side. Had we not won on Wednesday night, I could see us going the way of London Welsh before we even made it to Brentford.

The period between now and then will be key. Once there I believe we will have a considerably better deal in terms of funds from ticket sales and somewhere around a 50% share in the corporate side of things.

Back on the pitch there have been loads of rumours online around new signings, with a return for Delon and Steffon amongst them. Also rumoured is Jamie Roberts, along with all of the rumours we've previously had.

I am told that the Armitage brothers are not returning though, and given that Roberts would most likely want some serious wedge I don't consider that he would be a value for money signing, despite the obvious attributes he could bring to the side.

LI are wasted in Reading. There is plenty of interest but £30 a match to go to a quarter full stadium is a sticker shock. Also parking at £10 or you have to go into town and get a bus out is painful. I went maybe once a year when in Reading.

The move to Brentford will be a huge boost if they are only getting 18% of ticket revenue at the moment. Reading will eventually get a club from Redingensians/Reading who can build organically up on the A4 and draw in fans from Newbury and Wycombe. Madejeski is a white elephant for rugby clubs.

Excellent depth at 9 now, with Meehan competing with the other two senior guys (a definite upgrade on the departing Darren Alinson), all backed up by Rory Brand. Reid a direct replacement, and in my opinion at this stage an upgrade on Tom Court. Potential for good depth there as well with DHA looking good, Tom Smallbone hopefully coming back and kicking on, and young Harry Elrington backing them up.

Lomidze for me though has the potential to be a fantastic signing. He is a beast, and you don't get 25 caps in the Georgia pack at his age without having a bit about you. He is definitely raw, but is a big ball carrier, who if we can develop other areas of his game, he will be a real weapon.

Happy with these announcements. Court has been a great servant and a really strong scrummager, but Reid is younger and more mobile around the park. We are looking well stocked at loosehead which is good. Meehan also a clear upgrade on Allinson which is good. He offers us a kicking game from 9 which is clearly going to be important for us next season, especially if we persist with Marshall at 10 (perhaps a discussion for another day). Lomidze is the real unknown. I have seen some clips and he is very raw. If he can adjust to full time professional Rugby quickly he could be an absolute star. I suspect it may take a season though for him to fully appreciate what is expected of him. The raw materials are there though and I think we are right to be excited by his arrival. A few more to come I hope (Du Plessis, Faingaa, Schatz and then hopefully a 13).

du Plessis for me is a great signing. Excellent scrummager who will hopefully teach Lovejoy and Ollie a thing or two. Faingaa is a considerable upgrade on the outgoing Ellis, and Nalaga is a beast, whether he plays on the wing or at outside centre. The only one I'm not sure where he fits is Luke McLean, although I guess he's a bit of a utility back really so could well be coming in as a centre rather than a full back. He's also an upgrade on the only outgoing outside back in Ross Neal.

Happy with those so far. Guess the one concern is still the age old, 'ball carrying forward'. Trev's not getting any younger, don't think Nayalo solves the problem and Lomidze is a bit of a shot in the dark. Hopefully he solves the problem, but would have been good to get someone proven in. Also o specialis 13 coming in, but there are enough options around, for one to come good (Mulchrone, Fowlie, Hearn, M Williams, Tiks, Nalaga...)

Hopefully Curtis-Harris has better luck with injuries next season and gets some gametime of some description (LV, A League, loan...), as he could be a long term solution on the ball carrying front.

I agree with both of your assessments. It is really hard to be anything but delighted with the three front rowers coming in. All represent very big upgrades on those departing and give us genuine depth. It will be interesting to see if the Saulo rumour comes to fruition, as the French media seemed pretty sure. If he did end up coming then we would have six tight heads which seems a bit overkill.

Lomidze has huge potential but I agree with MW that we don't really know that much about him. He could end up being an absolute gem of a signing, but he could also fail to make the grade. Really, we need one out of three (him, Nayalo or Curtis Harris) to make the step up. I am fairly confident that one of them will do it as they all have the physical raw ingredients to do so. We are definitely in a stronger position for ball-carrying back rowers than we have been for a while.

In the backs, I am happy with Meehan. I think his delivery is impressive and his box-kicking is a real asset. Nalaga is a quality signing as we are likely to lose one, or maybe both, of Joe and Lewington to international call ups over the next few years. I am however a bit hesitant of using him as a 13. His best form has been seen on the wing and moving big Fijian wingers into the centres just reminds me too much of how we accelerated Tagicakibau's loss of form and eventual departure.

McLean seems like the only slightly odd one. He can cover 12, 15 or wing, but on the occasions I have been impressed by him it has been at 15. So in some respects it seems like a bit of an odd signing, as Bell has to be the first name on the team sheet for his goal-kicking (until such a time as Theo is deemed ready in this department). We also look well-covered at wing and 12 so not really sure where he fits in, but happy to get behind him once he arrives as he is no doubt a talented player.

Based on the above, in summary, I think we have to be happy with who has arrived. I think we are a starting lock and a starting outside centre away from having a seriously competitive side (probably our best since about 2011-ish). Whether we get those players or not is a different issue, but I live in hope!

I agree regarding McLean, he was the only one that I struggled to see where he fits in, however having had a bit of time to think about it, he appears to me to be a depth signing, which we definitely needed purely numbers wise in the backs. It is a long season with LV, Challenge Cup and extended A League games, so I would imagine that everyone is going to be seeing plenty of game time.

Robson as I understand it is still in talks with the club so may be staying. I hope he does as he's a good experienced guy. Hopefully there will be some signing announcements in the next few days, although today might be a bit of a stretch as there was a massive pi$$ up at Hazelwood last night so there may be some sore heads this morning.

Robson I believe can be added to the list as it appears he is taking a year out from the game.